Audio Esoterica Issue 2 - 2021

Legendary US high-end manufacturer Audio Research has released the first product in an all-new series. The new Audio Research I/50 integrated amplifier, with its high-current, 50-watt-per-channel output stage, is functionally simple, visually engaging, and musically sublime and, according to Philip Sawyer, of Synergy Audio Visual, which distributes Audio Research in Australia, “takes music listening to a whole new experience.” Hand-crafted in Minnesota, every I/50 is auditioned by Audio Research’s sonic designer, Warren Gehl, before being shipped. The design is deliberately modular, so you can order it as a classic hybrid integrated amplifier or add one or both of two modules — a phono stage and a DAC. A headphone amplifier is already built in, and there are three single-ended inputs and one XLR input. Unique ‘LexieTube’ displays provide information about input selection and…

Legendary US high-end manufacturer Audio Research has released the first product in an all-new series. The new Audio Research I/50 integrated amplifier, with its high-current, 50-watt-per-channel output stage, is functionally simple, visually engaging, and musically sublime and, according to Philip Sawyer, of Synergy Audio Visual, which distributes Audio Research in Australia, “takes music listening to a whole new experience.” Hand-crafted in Minnesota, every I/50 is auditioned by Audio Research’s sonic designer, Warren Gehl, before being shipped. The design is deliberately modular, so you can order it as a classic hybrid integrated amplifier or add one or both of two modules — a phono stage and a DAC. A headphone amplifier is already built in, and there are three single-ended inputs and one XLR input. Unique ‘LexieTube’ displays provide information about…

Linn has released the latest iteration of its flagship turntable, the Klimax LP12. This latest version of a literally timeless classic vinyl-spinner features ‘Radikal’—a new, hyper-accurate speed management technology, along with a new whisper-quiet power supply and a state-of-the-art motor. The new LP12 can also be the home for Linn’s new flagship cartridge, the Ekstatik. “This marks the conquest of a new summit of performance, at the top of the industry-leading Sondek LP12 range,” said Nigel Ng, of Advance Audio, which distributes Linn in Australia. “With new Klimax LP12, listeners will experience their favourite albums — both cherished classics and those freshly unwrapped — as if it were for the first time. The new Klimax LP12 sustains rotation closer to 33.333 rpm than any turntable ever before and thus produces the…

Mark Levinson has released only the second turntable it has ever built, and the great news is that the new No. 5105 is around $30,000 less than the company’s flagship No. 519 turntable. The No. 5105 features 25mm thick, bead-blasted, black-anodized, solid aluminium front panels that are machined and contoured to flow seamlessly into the sleek tinted glass display that’s recessed into them. It has a 50mm-thick solid aluminium plinth machined from a single billet that is suspended on three adjustable aluminium feet, each with a mixed-material internal suspension system. Spinning over the top of the plinth on an oil-free bearing made of a mix of composite material with integrated lubrication and a maintenance-free sintered brass bushing is a solid aluminium belt-driven 6.3kg platter topped with a carbon-fibre slip-mat. A custom 254mm high-gloss…

Linn has released the latest iteration of its flagship turntable, the Klimax LP12. This latest version of a literally timeless classic vinyl-spinner features ‘Radikal’—a new, hyper-accurate speed management technology, along with a new whisper-quiet power supply and a state-of-the-art motor. The new LP12 can also be the home for Linn’s new flagship cartridge, the Ekstatik. “This marks the conquest of a new summit of performance, at the top of the industry-leading Sondek LP12 range,” said Nigel Ng, of Advance Audio, which distributes Linn in Australia. “With new Klimax LP12, listeners will experience their favourite albums — both cherished classics and those freshly unwrapped — as if it were for the first time. The new Klimax LP12 sustains rotation closer to 33.333 rpm than any turntable ever before and thus produces…

B&W is likely the world’s most venerated loudspeaker manufacturer, because it’s pushed the boundaries of performance, sound quality and aesthetics ever since it was established in Britain in 1966 by John Bowers and Roy Wilkins. During the more than half-century it’s been building loudspeakers, B&W has produced some decidedly weird-looking designs (look up B&W’s Nautilus speakers on Google!) and even the company’s more conventional 800 Series Diamond flagship designs are too ‘out there’ (or maybe just too large) to suit many buyers. This B&W 804 D4 is the company’s entrylevel floor-standing loudspeaker in the 800 Series Diamond and includes all the technology developed for this series but presents them in a more traditional enclosure design and size. OUT OF THE BOX Although B&W says that its 804 D4 is more conventional in appearance than…